Lewis Hamilton, 5 time World Champion.
- Richard Baxter
- Oct 30, 2018
- 2 min read
He has affirmed his place in the history books, joining a very exclusive club, and putting his name alongside Fangio and Schumacher as only the third driver ever to win 5 drivers world championships. He is surely one of the greatest sportsmen that Britain has ever had and yet he seems to go so unappreciated. Why do so many people have such a dislike for him?
Ultimately I think he is a very ‘marmite’ character. As they say you either love it or hate it and I think it’s a commonly used phrase that fits Hamilton well.
A lot of people who I know personally aren’t fans of him. Whilst they appreciate the driving skill he has, many are critical of his personal life. Being the judgemental human beings that we are it’s easy for us to follow all the press headlines and social media posts and make a judgement on his personal life. But the truth is, none of us are actually a major part of his personal life so really don’t actually know what he is like.
Others argue against his driving skill claiming he has only won as he has the best car. Not something that has been true various times this season. Whilst in previous seasons there is no denying he has had the best car that is the same case with most previous world champions, so isn’t really a valid argument.
Hamilton after all is a racing driver at the top of his game, and as with all racing drivers in the past and present, they can all afford the glamorous lifestyle that goes with it. But realistically, if we had the same amount of money I’m sure we would all enjoy ourselves to a certain extent. It is not our place to judge or be hypocritical.
After winning the championship in Mexico, Hamilton spoke very publicly about the support of his family, the support of the team and the support of the fans. He has been very humble and grateful to everyone who is a part of what he has achieved and that should be celebrated. Let us not sit back and criticise. Whilst we might not all be fans of him, the feat he has achieved is quite simply incredible.
And after all, his biggest rival from the last couple of seasons Sebastian Vettel cut short his post race television interview specifically to go and congratulate Hamilton and later Toto Wolff. If his biggest rival can be that humble in defeat then I’m sure, all of us, no matter who we support, can appreciate and congratulate this outstanding achievement.
We have all seen history in the making and should be proud of this.
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